Helena weekly herald., 1887-11-24
WATERS IN ST. LOUIS.
ENTERPRISING METHODS OF AMBl-
TlOUS KNIGHTS OF THE NAPKIN.


ganization.
"You would be surprised, sir" remarked
the head waiter of a leading hotel to re-
porter, "to find the sort of people who pre-
sent themselves to us head walters for posi-
tions You couldn't tell some of them from
real gentlemen, they are so handsome, and
polished in their manners. Only the other
day man presented himself at the door of
the dining room. He was tall, stout, finely
formed, and as dignifed as prince. Ibowed
as he approached and was about to conduct
him to a seat at one of the tables, for l was
convinced that he was foreign nobleman.
Are you the head waiterP he asked. i am,
SIR replied; pray, of what service can be
to you? Give me a position, said he. Tam
a waiter and come from Saratoga
II would have been more surprised than l
was if had not often had applications from
men of similar bearing"
"Did you employ the fellow?"
ooh, certainly, and an exceptionally good
waiter he has turned out. He is in demand
all over the dining room, and the ladies are
particularly fond of having him wait upon
them. He is graduate of Oxford university,
and talks Greek with the f1uency of an Athe-
nian. We have Greek scholars in the house
-one of them a professor-and l have been
told that his Greek and Latin are unusually
fine. One night he gave the help in the hotel
reading and one of his selections was
chapter of Virgil. He was applauded so Wig
orously for this that 1 questioned my men
concerning their knowledge of Latin, and was
surprised to find that quite number of
them were acquainted with the dead Ian
guages. Nearly all of my men speak French
and German, and those of them who have not
received good schooling are in the minority.
"You must know that there is no trade or
ganization SO compact and fraternal as that
of the hotel walters. They are good hearted
fellows, as rule, and will never see one of
their kind want for anything that they can
supply Those in position supply those who
| are out of it, and nobody is whit the wiser
Masonry itself is outdone by their regard for
this rule of duty"
care the unemployed walters who are here
now supported in this way!"
"They are mostly. Nearly all Of the recent
arrivals came here too soon, and whatever
they brought with them quickly disappeared.
| Their condition was made known to the other
walters at once, and the latter supplied them
with means to secure lodging and enough
change to keep them alive"
"dOW mucn does IL cOSC 10 keep an u1leIl-
ployed waiter alive and cheerfulE'
"Very little, if the men are fly and they
generally are. A smart man whose room
rent has been paid can live gloriously on ten
cents day. There are saloons in this city,
both north and south, which supply an II
o'clock lunch fit for any mans meal. In the
bill of fare are two or three kinds of hot
meat, potatoes fried, stewed and in salad
slaw, pickles, bread, mustard, beets, etc. All
| a man need do to entitle him to hack at
this magnificent hungry mans banquet is to
purchase one glass Of beer"
"But a man can't have much fun on one
meal day, can he?"
"He doesn't need to confne himself to one
meal He has still five cents left, and with
| this he can purchase one beer later on.
"The unemployed napkin artists now in the
city, attracted by the exposition and its ac-
| companying festivities, are certainly sorry
| looking lot, notwithstanding their sumptuous
| living. Their coats are threadbare, and
| their toes when not peeping forth from their
boots, are struggling to get there. Despite
| the fraternal care with which their more for
tunate co-laborers regard them, they are not
appetizing to look upon. But one-half, at
| least, of these will be shortly engaged to
| help out at the leading hotels. Few will be
| able to recognize in the smooth shaven model
in boiled shirt, spotless cravat, real cuffs and
| cutaway, the wretch who is today haunting
the free lunch counters, grasping at whatever
comes within range of his watery vision.
"There isn't labor union in the country
| that takes half the care of its own that the
| walters do of theirs. Occasionally they are
economical and put their earnings away, but
| the great majority spend freely and give
| away what they can't spend. Like most
people in their walk of life, they are imita-
| tive, and the conversation of guests at table
| is rarely lost upon them. A first class waiter
can listen without appearing to, but he misses
! little that is worth remembering. Often
when we have had distinguished guests at
table, have heard their speeches rehearsed
and dissected in the kitchen. Sometimes
have heard the argument of a prominent
| statesman torn to shreds by the fellow who
was waiting to fill his order behind the
| screen"
"Where do most of your walters come
| from!"
"They come mostly from Europe. although
it is only once in while we get one direct
| from abroad here in ST. Louis. The first stop
| ping place for walters is New York. but they
| are a rowing set ard can't rest even there.
| As soon as they begin to hear of the glorious
| west they take off their aprons and start.
| Sometimes they come west in sleepers and
| sometimes in box cars, but they get here just
| the same. Once in while a man comes
| along and asks for work who has seen better
| days. Among these are noblemen and col
lege graduates. They may have had plenty
| of money when they reached the west and
| spent it in high living; then their remit
| tances fail to materialize and they are on
their uppers. These men make splendid
walters, but they have to begin as dish wash
| ers and get accustomed to stepping around
| lively before they are intrusted with table.
Still, when they get there they always give
satisfaction. They appreciate the Importance
| of scrupulous cleanliness, and are invariably
polite without betraying too much humility.
II have man under me who is such a cor
rect judge Of character that he can tell al
most to nickel often, and sometimes to a
cent, what the amount of his tip will be. He
can size a man up like flash, and he does it
without giving offense, either. have seen
gentlemen upon whom he had waited rise
! from the table with no intention Of paying
him anything, and yet he would draw their
chairs so deftly away and inquire so earnestly
if they had enjoyed their meal and whether
he couldn't help them to some little extra
delicacy, that they have put their hands in
their pockets and feed him well."-St Louis
| Globe Democrat.